Monday, May 9, 2011
An out-of-the-ordinary taste sensation.
This week I checked out Stony Brook Acres, an awesome little farm stand in Westford that I had never been to before. Many thanks to Westford Patch columnist Kristina Greene for telling me about it! This is the perfect neighborhood farm stand. They have flowers, plants, fruit and vegetables, milk, ice cream, a deli, and more, plus two adorable goats! It’s quite a find for locavores—they carry Dracut’s Shaw’s Farm milk and ice cream, Westford Farmer’s Market vendor Fior D’Italia ravioli, and apple cider from Harvard’s Carlson Orchards. What really made we want to dance with glee was that they also carry Smith’s Farmstead cheese. Made in Winchendon, Mass., Smith’s Farmstead offers the most delicious cheddar and gouda cheeses. When I saw it at…
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Use your herb garden for this recipe.
My favorite things to plant in the garden are herbs. Fresh herbs can add such variety and zip to your cooking, and it’s so convenient to have your favorites growing right in your own yard. And herbs don’t take a lot of space or time. Even if you don’t have a yard, a few planters on the patio or even in a window would work fine. Spend an hour potting a few, and you’re set for the summer. I stopped by Eric’s Flower and Plant Emporium in Westford the other day. They’re just starting to get out their herbs and vegetable plants. Their greenhouse smelled so deliciously of basil that I just couldn’t resist buying a basil plant. It’s sitting in my kitchen, waiting for the weather to warm up enough to plant it outside. Now my kitchen smells …
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Join the debate.
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Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Extreme couponing is a huge trend. Those who comb newspaper circulars and online sites for coupons say they can end up paying next to nothing for groceries while geting a thrill out of the deals. It's why sites like Groupon and Living Social are taking off. Another daily deal website, Saving Star, based in Waltham, Mass., just launched -- offering deals on basics at stores like the Westford CVS and Rite-Aid. Other argue extreme couponing makes you buy stuff you don't need and can get a bit obsessive. We asked our experts for their opinion. Here's what they said. You can join the debate by leaving a comment. Sally Rosenthal: In my own life, I’m trying to simplify and consume less. When possible, I like to buy food directly from farmers or …
Monday, April 18, 2011
Exploring the Kosher food section of Market Basket.
Since it’s Passover, most major grocery stores -- including Market Basket in Westford -- have an expanded Jewish food section. If you’ve never tried anything from the Kosher area, now is a great time to check it out! Matzo crackers are one of my favorites—we eat them all year as a snack, with butter or peanut butter or hummus or cream cheese or, well, just about any spread. While I’m not Jewish, I really love Passover seders. My sister-in-law always serves a delicious matzo ball soup when she hosts a seder. I’m not sure how authentic my recipe is, but we like it in our house! Ingredients: Directions: To those of you who celebrate, Happy Passover!
Monday, April 11, 2011
A vegan meal to help celebrate Earth Month.
Since April is Earth Month, I wanted to make sure to share a vegetarian recipe. Even switching just one meal a week from meat to vegetarian can potentially have a big environmental impact. In general, it takes far less water to produce vegetables than meat, and it also produces less pollution. Not to mention the potential health benefits. Eat a vegetarian meal—the Earth will thank you, and your body will thank you, too! This recipe goes a step further than vegetarian—it’s vegan. For people who aren’t vegan, it sometimes sounds too overwhelming to attempt to make a vegan meal. Vegans are basically super-vegetarians. In addition to not eating meat, they don’t eat any animal-derived products, like dairy or honey. I’m not a vegan. I’m not …
Monday, April 4, 2011
Kimball Farm is good for more than ice cream!
Have you heard that the Kimball Farm ice cream stand is now open for the season? Yay! I know I don’t need to tell any of you about Kimball’s—before we moved here, Kimball Farm was the only reason we even knew where Westford was! But, did you know that if you go into their store, in addition to a little café that sells delicious sandwiches and baked goods, there’s also a variety of food products, like sauces and jams? Last time I was there, I decided to pick up a jar of Kimball Farm Smokey Apple BBQ Sauce to make one of my favorite slow cooker meals: pulled chicken. This is a good one for this week, as the weather will be cold and rainy. Ingredients: Directions:
Monday, March 28, 2011
A delicious spring drink with the help of Shaw Farm, which makes home deliveries to Westford.
This week I have a recipe for you that’s easy, delicious, and will save you money! I must admit, I have an addiction to those pricey frozen blended coffee drinks. Yum! So I decided to play around and make my own. Making this recipe even better, did you know that Shaw Farm now offers milk delivery to Westford? They sell both organic and regular milk—both are delicious! They also deliver a whole bunch of other items in addition to milk, so check them out. This recipe will also reduce waste. At least in our house, there’s always a little bit of coffee left in the pot. So instead of throwing it down the drain, I put it in ice cube trays and freeze it. The frozen cubes can be stored in a freezer bag until you’re ready to make frozen coffee. Of…
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Read local moms' take on the controversial book "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" and join this week's conversation about bullying.
Welcome to Moms Talk. Every Wednesday at noon, we ask local moms a question and encourage them to leave comments and start a debate. Last week, Sally Rosenthal (who also serves as our food columnist) and others gave their take about the ruthless parenting style recounted in Amy Chua's controversial book, "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother." Here's what they said: This week, the topic is bullying. Has your child been bullied? Has your child been accused of bullying? How did you handle it? How should schools handle it? Bullying has been thrust into the spotlight recently after the high-profile suicide of Phoebe Prince, who attended South Hadley High School in Massachusetts. It prompted a series of anti-bullying laws in Massachusetts and across…
Sally Rosenthal
7:25 pm on Monday, May 9, 2011
Oh, awesome idea to saute the fruit in butter. I like the crunch of the apples in my sandwich, but my kids prefer the jam because they don't like the texture. So they'd probably prefer sauteed pear or apple. I'll have to try it next time! more ›